The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
—William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
Merry Christmas to all followers of Christ! Happy (belated) Hanukkah to all Jewish readers! And a, uh, kooky Kwanzaa to all! (Eh, who are we kidding? The probability that ANYONE reading this column celebrates Kwanzaa is practically nil.).
But before we delve into the heart of our Christmas Day column, I humbly propose the following theory: The Devil is a far more persuasive propagandist than God.
Because God, by definition, is perfect, moral, and utterly incapable of sin. Which means every decision He makes — and every word He has ever said to His prophets — was the most morally righteous action possible.
God doesn’t lie. He only speaks the truth, because lying is sinful and God doesn’t sin.
But the Devil is unburdened by the shackles of moral perfection.
As Shakespeare noted, when it serves the Devil’s purpose, he’ll tell the truth. When it’s more advantageous to lie, he’ll lie with a straight face. If quoting Scripture will lead someone to evil, the Devil can recite God’s divine word in exacting detail. And if he needs to contort the Scripture’s meaning, he’s certainly capable of doing that, too.
That’s a considerable arsenal at his disposal.
Keep this in mind, because, I suspect, the following story will leave you shaking your head in disbelief:
Al Jazeera: Christmas Is Not a Western Story — It Is a Palestinian One
Every December, much of the Christian world enters a familiar cycle of celebration: carols, lights, decorated trees, consumer frenzy and the warm imagery of a snowy night. In the United States and Europe, public discourse often speaks of “Western Christian values”, or even the vague notion of “Judeo-Christian civilisation”. These phrases have become so common that many assume, almost automatically, that Christianity is inherently a Western religion — an expression of European culture, history and identity.
It is not.
Actually, Europe has been Christian far longer than the Middle East has been Muslim. The first European country to embrace Christianity as its state religion did so in AD 301. By AD 380, it was the state religion of Rome. For nearly 1,650 years, it’s been the continent’s most dominant faith.
Meanwhile, Mohammed wasn’t even born ‘til AD 570.
Al Jazeera continued:
[Christ] was born under military occupation, to a family displaced by an imperial decree, in a region living under the shadow of violence. The holy family were forced to flee as refugees because the infants of Bethlehem, according to the Gospel narrative, were massacred by a fearful tyrant determined to preserve his reign. Sound familiar?
[…]
Christmas is a Palestinian story par excellence.
Not even close. “Palestine” didn’t exist when Jesus walked the Earth. The word itself was weaponized by the Romans to punish the Jewish uprisings in AD 135, when they renamed the land after the Philistines — the ancient enemies of Jesus and his people.
There’s absolutely no known ethnic, genetic, or cultural connection between today’s Palestinians and the Biblical Philistines, sans one tragic commonality:
Their stubborn bloodlust for killing Jews.
Al Jazeera continued:
When we read the Christmas story, we recognise our own world: the census that forced Mary and Joseph to travel resembles the permits, checkpoints and bureaucratic controls that shape our daily lives today. The holy family’s flight resonates with the millions of refugees who have fled wars across our region. Herod’s violence echoes in the violence we see around us.
Of course, the nature of this violence is dramatically different: Jesus and his people sought the freedom to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, despite the heavy hand of Roman domination.
Theirs was a battle for religious freedom.
The Palestinians — and most of the Arab world — aren’t fighting for religious freedom. The opposite is true: They’re actively subjugating all non-Muslim faiths, murdering the “infidels” wherever they find them.
If you don’t believe me, pack a suitcase and go to Gaza, Mecca, Tehran, or Baghdad, stand on a street corner, and try preaching the Christian Gospels. (Pro Tip: Only pay for a one-way plane ticket, ‘cause you ain’t coming back alive.)
And now the murderers of both Jesus’ people AND Jesus’ followers are claiming the mantle of the Christmas Story.
Let’s return to the original theory — that the Devil is a more persuasive propagandist than the Almighty God.
Is it true?
Just going by the numbers, the Devil has more weapons: He can tell the truth. He can lie. He can engage in half-truths. He can quote the Scriptures whenever it suits his purpose.
But perhaps God is still more persuasive, because often in PR, one big truth is more meaningful than anything — and everything — else. There’s a special clarity to truth that illuminates the darkness, making a mockery of the lies and distortions.
Eventually, the truth always wins.
And the Devil always loses.
After all, if Al Jazeera was telling the truth, we’d witness the fruits of their Christian love: Christian communities would be blossoming all over “Palestine” and the rest of the Middle East.
But all across the Middle East, there’s only one country where the Christian population is growing. And it’s not in Gaza, the West Bank, or anywhere else in Arab-dominated lands.
It’s in Israel.
The Times of Israel: In Xmas Greeting, Netanyahu Says Israel Is the Only Mideast Country Where Christians Are "Thriving":
“Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practice their faith with full rights and in total freedom,” [Netanyahu said] in a video released by his office, “where Christian pilgrims are embraced with open arms and so deeply appreciated.”
Netanyahu stresses that the Jerusalem municipality distributes Christian trees, whereas “in the Palestinian town of Jenin, Palestinians burnt a Christmas tree in the Holy Redeemer Church.”
Palestinian Authority police said today that officers arrested three suspects in the arson attack that targeted a Christmas tree and a nativity scene in the church early Monday.
“Israel stands up for Christians across the region, wherever they face widespread intimidation and persecution,” says Netanyahu. He notes that Israel’s Christian population is growing, while those of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority are shrinking. [emphasis added]
People aren’t stupid; they vote with their feet. If the Palestinians were actually pro-Gospel, pro-Christianity, and pro-Christmas, their Christian population would be growing.
Instead, it’s shrinking.
[Tucker Carlson impression] “Al Jazeera, why is that? I’m… just asking questions.”
We opened this column with a quote from the Bard. We’ll close it with one from an Englishman born 287 years after Shakespeare’s death, because it explains why outlets like Al Jazeera are so desperate to rewrite history:
Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.
—George Orwell, 1984
Merry Christmas to all God’s children — and to all of those who stand with them.
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